Overboard

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Overboard is a remake of the 1987 Kurt Russell/Goldie Hawn vehicle that had Hawn as a spoilt heiress who falls off her yacht and suffers amnesia. Kurt Russell is a widowed carpenter with whom Hawn had a spat with earlier on about payment. He notices that she hasn’t a clue who she is and plots his revenge by pretending to be her husband taking her home to his four sons with the idea that she works off her debt.

With a tweak here and there that is pretty much the story for Overboard 2018. However, the roles are reversed and Anna Faris is widower Kate with three girls, and Eugenio Derbez is playboy Leonardo living the decadent life of pampered privilege. As a ‘couple’ supposedly reacquainting they gingerly start again, with Kate ‘reminding’ Leo of his obligations around the home and to the family. Slowly, the inevitable starts to unfold.

Its corny as hell and while its bright and breezy it is also laughter free. This writer isn’t going to pretend to remember too much about the original but even if you are not familiar with it after fifteen minutes of this, you’ll know where it’s going.

No complaints with the actors as Anna Faris is always going to be reliable and Derbez (A big star in Mexico.) makes a likable foil. They are just poorly served by Rob Greenberg’s and Bob Fisher’s script and a lacklustre direction by Greenberg. In fairness there is one joke that may tickle when there’s a reference to the whole thing being like a Mexican telenovela, which tend to feature ludicrous plots and are popular in Mexico.

There was some potential to darken the tone with Leonardo’s scheming sister Magdalena (Cecilia Suárez) looking to inherit Leo’s place as the head of their dying father’s company and his other sister Sofia’s (Mariana Treviño) terrible musicianship. But they aren’t really allowed to develop and intrude on the domestic situation or Leo getting his hands dirty as he helps build a swimming pool for a wealthy couple.

The bias is towards Leo’s domestic lessons and life’s knocks as he grows into his role, bringing an extra dimension to the family and their lives, doing the chores and spicing up the family meals. The film doesn’t really delve into the ambiguity of using kidnap as a teaching tool and frankly it’s not worth the effort.

It’s too long too. Why Swoosie Kurtz is in as Kate’s mother is anyone’s guess as she barely features and when she does its pointless. This is dandelion seed material so lightweight that will waft from the mind as quickly as said seed will on a breeze.